Fantastic Thai Peanut Bowl

Pure Yoga is a popular yoga studio here in Ottawa. Their classes are fantastic, and the location I frequent offers up cute yoga wear by such brands as Teeki, Pure Apparel, etc.

Co-owners Jen Dalgleish and Amber Stratton saw a gap in the market for vegetarian and vegan cuisine, so they recently opened up Pure Kitchen, a light, bright and airy restaurant specializing in fresh-pressed juices, salads, brown rice bowls and other vegetarian and vegan offerings. The restaurant also features local craft beers and Ontario wines. When my vegetarian sister Erika visits next time, I plan on taking her as I know she will absolutely love this place.

I was thrilled when I came across this tasty recipe in the Ottawa Citizen and thought I would share with you all. Don’t be afraid of vegetarian dishes. This is fresh and flavourful…and best of all, healthy!

Serves: 2 regular or 4 small bowls

Ingredients:

For the bowl

1/2 block of extra-firm tofu

¼ cup gluten-free tamari

¼ cup maple syrup

1/4 of a napa cabbage, chopped into 1-inch pieces

½ broccoli crown, broken into mouth-size bites

1 medium carrot, julienned

¼ red pepper, julienned

1 cup fresh bean sprouts

2 scallions, julienned

¼ cup cilantro, roughly chopped

2 tbsp. roasted peanuts, roughly chopped

½ pack of bahn pho rice noodles

Splash of sesame oil

Spicy Peanut Sauce

½ clove garlic, minced

½” piece ginger, minced

2 tbsp. unseasoned rice vinegar

2 tbsp. peanut butter

1 tbsp. gluten-free tamari

½ tsp. sesame oil

1 to 3 tsp. sriracha (based on personal preference)

Juice of ½ a lime

Instructions

Press the tofu.

Cut block in half, then cut into 36 little cubes. Marinate the tofu in the tamari and maple syrup. Let the tofu marinate for 15 minutes or longer.

Bake tofu for 20 minutes in a 350-degree oven, flipping half way through cooking time.

Place all of the ingredients for the spicy peanut sauce in a high-speed blender or food processor, combining until smooth.

Bring a pot of water to a boil. Cook the rice noodles for three minutes or until al dente. Drain and toss with sesame oil.

Heat the peanut sauce in a saucepan. Add the noodles and toss to combine well.

In a separate pan or wok, lightly sauté broccoli, cabbage, carrots and red pepper for two to four minutes. Remove from heat.

Divide the noodles into each bowl. Top with the sautéed veggies, scallions, cilantro, bean sprouts, peanuts and tofu.